Interesting article. However, I think she confuses the processes of evaluating historical impact and determining personal holiness. The former definitely requires the passage of time, and it never really reaches a resolution. Historians are still debating Alexander the Great.

On the other hand, the Church is uniquely qualified to rule on individual sanctity, and her criteria are very different from those used in analyzing a historical figure.

On the other hand, the Church is uniquely qualified to rule on individual sanctity, and her criteria are very different from those used in analyzing a historical figure.

The old rules laid down by Urban VIII after Trent were very thorough. Paul VI reduced the rigor of some parts of the process, and Pope Francis, by opting for frequent use of equivalent canonization, is doing so further. The process is important, as it is not merely assuring that the person is in heaven, but that the person is an outstanding example to follow.

11 posted on 05/11/2014 4:27:44 AM PDT by Hieronymus
( (It is terrible to contemplate how few politicians are hanged. --G.K. Chesterton))